Exploring the Themes and Characters of The Tell-Tale Heart

Who wrote 'The Telltale Heart'?

• Charles Dickens

• Herman Melville

• Mark Twain

• Edgar Allan Poe

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RI.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RL.K.6

In what year was 'The Telltale Heart' published?

• 1835

• 1850

• 1860

• 1843

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

How does the narrator describe his mental state at the beginning of the story?

• Calm and collected

• Terribly nervous but not mad

• Completely insane

• Indifferent

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What does the narrator fear and detest about the old man?

• His voice

• His behavior

• His wealth

• His eye

What happens on the eighth night that is different from the previous nights?

• The old man is not at home

• The narrator's thumb slips on the lantern's fastening

• The old man attacks the narrator

• The narrator decides not to visit

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What sound does the narrator compare to a watch enveloped in cotton?

• The old man's breathing

• The old man's heartbeat

• The ticking clock

• The creaking floorboards

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

How does the narrator kill the old man?

• By strangling

• By stifling him with a mattress

• By poisoning

• With a knife

Where does the narrator hide the old man's body?

• Under the floorboards

• In the attic

• In the basement

• In the backyard

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Why do the police visit the narrator's house?

• To investigate a neighbor's complaint

• To deliver a message

• To arrest him

• To search for stolen goods

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What ultimately causes the narrator to confess to the murder?

• His own guilt

• The sight of the old man's eye

• The sound of the old man's heartbeat

• The pressure from the police